Diabetes in Mississippi

In 2012, Mississippi ranked second in the nation for overall diabetes prevalence, with
over 276,000 adult Mississippians having type 2 diabetes (over 12.5% of the adult population).

Four of every 1,000 Mississippi deaths were from diabetes in 2012, accounting for 1,039 total deaths. In addition, many more Mississippians live with the complications of type 2 diabetes, including lower extremity amputations, end stage renal disease, blindness, loss of protective sensation, heart disease and premature death.

Diabetes is preventable. Learn more below about your risk for developing type 2 diabetes and the small steps you
can take to delay or prevent the disease and live a longer, healthier life.

About Type 2 Diabetes

If you have diabetes, take this challenge. Your A1C level is an important indicator of long-term blood sugar control, but about one-third of adults with diabetes
are not at their A1C goal. Join Tim McGraw and pledge to work with your
doctor to get to your A1C goal (and your family or friends with diabetes as well). Find out more »

Diabetes is an incurable disease that affects the way the body uses food. Diabetes causes glucose levels in the blood to be too high. Normally, during digestion the body changes sugars, starches, and other foods into a form of sugar called glucose.
Glucose is carried to the body's cells and, with the help of insulin (a hormone), is converted into energy. In healthy people, blood glucose levels are kept within normal ranges by proper insulin function.

People develop type 2 diabetes because the cells in the muscles,
liver, and fat do not use insulin properly. As a result, the
amount of sugar in the blood increases, while the cells are starved
of energy. Over time, high blood sugar damages nerves and
blood vessels, leading to complications such as heart disease, stroke,
blindness, kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections, and
amputation.

I Have Heard the Term "Pre-Diabetes". What is it?

Pre-diabetes simply means that one is at risk for getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
If your blood sugar level is higher than normal but lower than the diabetes range, then you
have pre-diabetes. The good news is you can reduce the
risk of getting diabetes and even return to normal blood sugar levels. With modest weight loss and moderate physical activity,
you can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. Learn more »

How much does diabetes cost the nation?

Total health care and related costs for the treatment of diabetes ran about $245 billion in 2012, the latest year for which cost data are available.

High Risk Groups

African-Americans

African-Americans are 77 percent more likely than whites to be diagnosed with diabetes, and one in four African-American women older than 55 has diabetes.

African-Americans with diabetes are also more likely to experience complications from the disease. As of 2009, more than 12% of all African-Americans ages 20 and older have been diagnosed with diabetes.

American Indians and Alaska Natives

American Indians and Alaska Natives are about twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. As of 2009, 16.1 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives 20 years or older served by the Indian Health Service have been diagnosed with diabetes.

Hispanic and Latino Americans

On average, Hispanics are 66 percent more likely to have diagnosed diabetes as whites. Among Mexican-Americans, the largest Hispanic subgroup, the risk is even higher, at 87%. As of 2009, more than 2 million Hispanic adults (11.8% of the adult population) have diabetes.

National Diabetes Educational Program (NDEP)You can learn more about your risk for developing type 2 diabetes and the small steps you can take to delay or prevent the disease and live a long, healthy life from the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). The NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations.